Louisiana Fall Fest 2005 - Custom Truck Show

Mini-Truckers Party Down

Five years ago BJ Mills was simply trying to help out when his buddy Derrick came to him with the idea of having a show-n-shine on the same weekend as the grand opening of his new custom shop. But when tragedy struck just 3 days prior to Derrick's big day and his life was sadly cut short, BJ didn't know what to do. They ultimately decided to press on in Derrick's memory and have the show in his honor.

Cut to present day. The Louisiana Fall Fest in Pineville, Louisiana, continues to preserve Derrick's memory. This fifth annual event was held at Buhlow Lake in Pineville, Louisiana, and in our opinion, it was an awesome location for a show. With perfect weather and a beautiful lake open for boating, jet skiing, or even fishing in the backdrop, we were ready for some fun. Saturday brought the usual, catching up with friends old and new and, of course, checking out all the awesome minis this show produced. As the sun sat on Buhlow Lake, the action heated up. BJ and his crew started up with a drag and burnout contest. Then the live music (courtesy of local band Black 7) kicked in to get the party started. With the on-site camping available at this show, the bonfires were abundant. They then decided to unwind everyone with a 40-ounce drinking competition. And let us tell you folks, it was Schlitz Malt Liquor; so even if you won the contest, you still lost. After the bonfires got to smoldering, they kicked up the Cajun heat again with a wet T-shirt contest that not only made us blush, but had most feeling they needed some crisp one dollar bills just to keep up with the action.

Sunday came too early. We got up, grabbed a drink for the road, and headed back to the show to make our final rounds and check out some of the awesome vendors on-site. Kustomz Ink Klothing, Drop 'Em Wear, and Brandon LeBlanc (Gator Drag fame) from Gator Skinz were all on hand to cater to the mini-trucker within. Before we knew it, it was awards time, and FBI pulled out all the stops on the specialty awards for this show. They were awesome! Steve, Phil, Dan, and the crew did a fantastic job on the "Best of Show" trophy.

Mark your calendars now for this year's Louisiana Fall Fest so you won't miss a minute of the action. For information about Fall Fest 2006, contact BJ Mills at (318) 792-9391 or visit www.latruckscene.com. See ya next year!